Reduction of refractory compounds.



. pounds, of which the following is a full,

or for the reduction of aluminum ores to for the reduction of ores of various elements the chemical equation :a

FRANK J. TONE, OF NIAGARA FALLS, NEW YORK.

REDUCTION OF REFRACTORY COMPOUNDS.

No Drawing. Application filed March 21,

To all whom it may concern: 7

Be it known that I, FRANK J. TONE, of Niagara Falls, Niagara county, New York, have invented a new and useful Improvement in the Reduction of Refractory Comclear, and exact description.

This invention relates to the reduction of refractory compounds and especially to the metallurgy of aluminum and aluminum compounds and alloys. The direct reduction of ores of aluminum by carbon in the electric furnace has heretofore oifered many difficulties. Chief among these has'been the fact that on account of the high temperature required, there is a tendency of the aluminum ore or the reduced aluminum, to volatilize, at the temperature of reduction and escape from the furnace. The escape from the reaction zone of large volumes of carbon monoxid gas resulting from reduction, also tends to cause large losses of the volatile products, said products being carried out of the furnace along with the gases. I have discovered that much of this difliculty is overcome if the process is divided into two steps. In the first step the aluminum ore is mixed with the proper amount of carbon and reduced to aluminum carbid. In the second step the aluminum carbid is used as a reducing agent in place of carbon to alloys of aluminum and these elements,

elemental aluminum as the case may be.

For example, in the manufacture of a silicon-aluminum alloy corresponding to the formula 8A1.3Si, I take aluminum carbid and silica in the proportions expressed by and subject them to heat in an electric furnace, obtaining the silicon aluminum alloy as the final product.

1 If the element aluminum is to be produced as the final product, a mixture of aluminum carbid and aluminum oxid is made in accordance with the following equation:

The advantage of dividing the rocess into two parts is that the reductlon of aluminum ores to aluminum carbid can be accomplished with much greater efficiency than the direct reduction of the ore to the Specification of Letters Patent. Patented June 21, 1910.

1907. Serial No. 363,539.

element aluminum. The reason for this is the production of the carbid, which are highly efficient and entail little or no loss by volatilization. Of the 6 arts of aluminum produced in e uation (2 4 parts are the result of the highly eflicient first reduction to the carbid, and 2 parts are the result of the less efiicient second step of the process. The amount of CO gas evolved per ,unit of aluminum produced 1n equation (2) is also much less than in the reaction in which the oxid is directly reduced by carbon.

The process of reduction herein described, may be carried out in vany suitable electric furnace capable of generating the requisite temperature, and provided with means for- .consists in subjecting a mixture of the ore and aluminum carbid to electrically developed heat sufficient to raise the ore above its point of fusion and cause the reduction of the,ore by the carbon ofthe carbid, and the combination of the aluminum with the reduced element of the ore and removing the reduced product from the reaction zone.

2. The process of reducing ores of aluminum, which consists in subjecting a mixture of the ore and aluminum carbid to electrically developed heat suflicient to raise further quantity of ore to electrically de-.

veloped heat suflicient to raise the ore above its point of fusion and cause the reduction of the ore by the carbon of the carb d, and collecting the aluminum resulting ointly from the reduction of the ore and the disso ciation of the carbid and removing the reducedproduct from the reaction zone. a

4. The process of reducing ores, which l tially consists in subjecting a mixture of the ore and aluminum carbid to electrically developed heat, suflicient to cause the reduction of the ore by the carbon of the carbid and the combination of the aluminum while maintaining the reduction zone at substanthe volatilization temperature by removlng the reduced product from the reduction zone. a

5. The rocess of reducing ores of aluminum, w ich consists in first reducing an aluminum ore to aluminum carbid, and then subjecting a mixture of the ,carbid and a further quantity ofore to. electrically developed heat suificient to cause the reduction of the ore by the'carbon of the carbid, and causing the aluminum resulting jointly from the reduction of the ore and the dissociation of the carbid to be removed from the reaction zone and collected in a receiving space.

In testimony whereof,'I have hereunto set my hand.

FRANK J. TONE. Witnesses:

AsHMEAn G. RODGERS, CHARLES CHORMANN. 

